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The Playhouse

Part 2 Project 2009
Andrew Catton
Ryan Bond
Matt Smith
 University of Portsmouth | UK
Almost all contemporary and traditional theatres are composed of a hierarchy of ‘servant and served’ spaces, concerned with the separation of performers and audience in order to suspend disbelief and increase the power of the performance. Our thesis attempts to question this hierarchy, and to investigate new approaches that may broaden and enhance the appeal of theatre to all.

To do this, the proposed scheme rethinks the traditional section arrangement of theatrical spaces. Where typically, the production and stage areas are completely hidden from public view, we propose that a more open approach to the production format would actually enhance rather than diminish the theatrical experience.

This is achieved through repositioning and exposing elements of the specialist theatrical design, production and manufacturing industries throughout the site, such that the effort, skill and craft behind the process of theatre can be appreciated, and that these talents and products can be offered commercially to the local community and visitors to the site.

The second change concerns the front-of-house space. Acting as a lynch-pin for the entire development, it is intended that this space could take the form of a dynamic open courtyard, fulfilling the metaphor of a stage surrounded by differing entities - a role performed by the three auditoriums themselves. This public space ‘stage’ would be used for a plethora of functions, allowing creative events to take place on a platform that celebrates the notion of a melting pot for culture.

The aforementioned three theatres and supporting industries would feed off this public space, completing the notion of theatre as an open community rather than a closed, single functioned venue. It would become a place to visit not only to see a show, but for the quality and range of spaces and facilities it offers - a destination space.

We believe that this framework would enable The Playhouse to become, in time, a true reflection of the national Irish culture it is intended to represent, because the character of these spaces would be determined by the people that use and evolve them, rather than being rigidly prescribed by the designer.



This project responded to a larger urban idea for the redevelopment of a site in Dublin adjacent to the Dublin Docklands regeneration scheme. It aimed to extend the influence of the Docklands as a regenerator for the area and use the activity of 'theatre' as a catalyst for activity and also to create a new identity for the area alongside a disused canal basin.

This project involved a careful consideration of the nature of Irish theatre to create a new community for theatre that could embed itself into the specific location of Dublin, but also to extend the cultural sense of theatre as both experience for actor, audience and also those involved in its production. These aspects of the ' Playhouse ' were to suggest a scheme that could become embedded into the urban fabric of Dublin part of its present and future cultural identity.

The resulting scheme is extensive in scale and ambition, a series of performance spaces that are linked by external urban 'rooms' and streets. The language of the city and the theatre work together to create a new place , a permeable' Playhouse.'

The drawings that support the scheme are carefully considered, very well executed, describing concept , site and the fabric of the building , they succinctly explain a complex idea of city and theatre.


Tutor(s)
Ms Lorraine Farrelly
2009
Waterfront - The site’s prominent waterfront location, with its generous public square offers fantastic views of the Grand Canal Dock, and potential for interaction at the water’s edge. Performance barges and boats can be moored up directly to the square,
Public Square - A core component of the scheme, the square sits at the centre of the site, serving as a multi-purpose destination space. Whilst the area will be vibrantly animated by the surrounding theatrical industries & the congregations of the three a
Site Plan
A Community of Theatres - The scheme integrates three key auditoriums of very individual and specialist qualities under a rich framework of supporting facilities, such that together, an environment that both maximises creativity and celebrates the industr
Mixed-use: Street Scale - Placing high value on a scale appropriate treatment of the site’s boundaries, to better address the surrounding context, the proposed terraces will grow and emphasise the traditional street feel and scale that is currently stagna
Winter Mill & Rehearsal Spaces - Block B, one of the key pieces of existing fabric, which fronts Ringsend Road and the Canal is proposed to be redeveloped sympathetically, preserving its existing character as much as possible. The Block was once used as a
The Working Theatre - With a capacity of up to 380, this is a highly flexible yet intimate space, taking the form of a courtyard theatre with two stacked, narrow galleries and a stage that can be anywhere between. Of our three theatres, it is the one that
The Working Theatre - A dynamic, multi function theatre space, derived from the concept of one large flytower. The space enables total flexibility of stage position, and creates and indoor courtyard feel at high level with two tiers of galleries. Three si
The Playhouse Theatre - A far more typical theatre in its configuration and design; a simple, single-tiered, rectangular auditorium with a wide stage and a capacity of around 220. It will also have the facility to alter the stage configuration, and so can
The Playhouse Theatre - Of the three auditoriums, it is The Playhouse that most directly addresses the existing fabric of the Bolands Mills site. The new timber clad auditorum is slid elegantly within the existing walls of Block C, and suspended at high-l
The Pinnacle Theatre - With a capacity of 446, this auditorium will be a single space in which the stage and seating really are unified. The auditorium itself is fan-shaped and has steeply raked seating, intended for its dramatic and ‘cathedral-like’ atmo
The Pinnacle Theatre - This theatre places the audience at the heart of the action, with a generous two-tier arced seating plan to maximise sight-lines, and a volume that is proportionally designed for optimum acoustic performance. The Pinnacle of
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